Palais de Island

The fortified Palais de l’Île was built on a natural rocky island in the 12th century and was referred to for the first time in 1325 as a prison when the feudal lord of Annecy paid Jean de Menthoux, the master of the island, to feed two prisoners. Thirty years later, the Holy Roman Germanic Emperor Charles IV granted Count Amadeus III of Geneva the right to establish a coin minting workshop in the little castle. This activity continued until the end of the 14th century.